Shadai Farm's Sol Oriens (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) was late to begin his career, but was a quick study, winning his first three trips to the post and overcoming some immature habits to best Tastiera (Jpn) (Satono Crown {Jpn}) by a clear margin in the G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) back in April. Sent off at odds-on to keep the streak alive in the G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) six weeks later, the homebred conceded first run to Tastiera and got home nicely, but too late, as he finished a neck second. Sol Oriens has the benefit of a prep run, a torrid-trip second from a wide alley in the 2200-metre G2 Asahi Hai St. Lite Kinen Sept. 18. It will be up to Takeshi Yokoyama to work out a trip from barrier 14 on Sunday.

“It was a pity about the result last time, but there were no problems with him after it, and it was a good-enough result to look to this next race with him,” said Yokoyama. “He's currently not too tense, and he's worked well right up to the end of his training. I'd like some revenge for the Derby, so I'm hoping for a good result.”

Star 3c SOL ORIENS (Kitasan Black) final fast ahead of the G1 3000m Kikuka Sho (St Leger) for 3yos (no geldings) on Sunday

Rock hard fit,nice easy work. Footwork great.

Won Satsuki Sho then a Nose 2nd Derby at just 4th start.

Next big thing?pic.twitter.com/NVi5rK91kY

— Graham Pavey (@LongBallToNoOne) October 18, 2023

Joao Moreira is in to ride Tastiera for Noriyuki Hori in his first start since the Derby, where he was piloted by Australia's Damian Lane. The Carrot Farm colourbearer defeated Top Knife (Jpn) (Declaration of War) by a length when prepping for the Guineas in March, but was soundly beaten by 1 1/4 lengths in the first leg of the Triple Crown. He was perhaps a fraction fortunate that Sol Oriens did not commence his stretch rally a bit sooner at Tokyo, as Lane breathed a sigh of relief, and he'll critically be spotting Sol Oriens race-readiness this weekend.

“He has a lot of stamina, and he doesn't show any sign of stopping when he's running, so I think he can take on his opponents this time without any worries,” the conditioner commented. “It was a very hot summer, and I think it's to his advantage that he's coming back for a race just now, even though that wasn't the original plan.”

There is plenty of depth in Sunday's race beneath the top two. Hearts Concerto (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) ran home to be a brave third at longshot odds in the Derby and he, too, has a tightener under his belt, having finished a close fifth behind Derby 11th Satono Glanz (Jpn) (Satono Diamond {Jpn}), Savona (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) and Phantom Thief (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB})–eighth in the Derby–in the G2 Kobe Shimbun Hai (2400m) Sept. 24. Top Knife has also since franked the Derby form with an outstanding runner-up effort to the G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn)-bound budding superstar Prognosis (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in the G2 Sapporo Kinen Aug. 20. Nocking Point (Jpn) (Maurice {Jpn}), a sound fifth behind Tastiera at Tokyo, resumed with a victory in the G3 Niigata Kinen Sept. 3.

Durezza (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}), whose sire provided 2021 Kikuka Sho hero Titleholder (Jpn), gets his most serious test to date, but has earned the right to be here with four wins on the trot in the lower grades.

“He's been moving well and not showing any tiredness,” said Christophe Lemaire, who sees fit to take the call. “It's a big challenge in a Group 1, but he has potential and I think he has a chance.”

The post Sol Oriens, Tastiera Face Rubber Match In Kikuka Sho appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The Derby was run at just a steady tempo, as Pax Ottomanica (Jpn) (Victoire Pisa {Jpn}) set the pace in advance of fellow outsider Ho O Biscuits (Jpn) (Mind Your Biscuits). Tastiera, somewhat surprisingly no better than the fourth most-fancied runner, assumed a prominent spot beneath the visiting Damian Lane after beginning a beat slowly and raced two wide and with the benefit of cover entering the back straight.

Pax Ottomanica was slipped a bit of rein and had stretched his advantage to a good half-dozen lengths passing the 1400-metre peg, but those doing the chasing were being ridden patiently, waiting for the speed to come back to them. Pax Ottomanica opened up by as many as 10 lengths entering the final three furlongs, but Tastiera was given his cue by Lane three deep off the home corner, with odds-on Sol Oriens just behind and to his left, right on his flank. Pax Ottomanica held bravely, clearly advantaged by the easy tempo, but was collared by Tastiera just inside the furlong, and although Sol Oriens was in the clear with every chance from there, the wire arrived in time for Tastiera. Dura Erede (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) stumbled at the start and lost jockey Ryusei Sakai.

A Trip Down Memory 'Lane'

Just 29 years old, Bunbury, Western Australia, native Damian Lane is perennially among the top riders in Victoria and is the latest big name to make a big impression on short-term contracts in Japan. Sunday's Derby marks the jockey's fifth top-level success in the country, two of which came aboard Carrot Farm's Horse of the Year Lys Gracieux (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) in the G1 Takarazuka Kinen and G1 Arima Kinen either side of a stirring score in the 2019 G1 Cox Plate at Moonee Valley for Yoshito Yahagi.

The first of his 13 Japanese group victories came astride Carrot Farm's Mer de Glace (Jpn) (Rulership {Jpn}) in the 2019 G3 Niigata Daishoten, and Lane was once again in the irons for a one-length tally in that year's G1 Caulfield Cup, a week prior to the Cox Plate. Lane's relationship with Japanese horsepeople also resulted in his landing the ride aboard Crown Pride (Jpn) (Reach the Crown {Jpn}), whom he duly piloted to take out the 2022 G2 UAE Derby. Prior to that, he won the 2017 G1 Toorak H. and G1 Mackinnon S. with the Japanese part-owned Tosen Stardom (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), while he also guided Win Marilyn (Jpn) (Screen Hero {Jpn}) to salute in last year's G1 Longines Hong Kong Vase.

Of his first Japanese Classic, Lane said: ‟It's a very special, great feeling especially for Hori Stables and Carrot Farm with whom I've had success. It was definitely the position [today], and credit to the horse–he's so versatile, he could jump quick, put himself in a good position and relax. It's just a great sense of achievement.”

Lane, who closed Sunday's card with a last-gasp success atop Heat on Beat (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) in the G2 Meguro Kinen, rides Serifos (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}) in next Sunday's G1 Yasuda Kinen. The duo teamed to win last year's G1 Mile Championship S.

Pedigree Notes

Tastiera is the first elite-level scorer for his sire, who was acquired in utero in a private transaction and subsequently fetched ¥58 million ($573,040) from prominent owner Hajime Satomi at the 2013 JRHA Select Sale. Also trained by Noriyuki Hori, the dark bay was third to stablemate Duramente (Jpn) in the 2015 Tokyo Yushun and recorded the first Group 1 of his career in the Longines Hong Kong Vase at the tail end of his 4-year-old season. He also annexed the G1 Takarazuka Kinen in 2017 and was retired to Shadai Stallion Station at the end of the following campaign. Satono Crown, a brother to 2011 G1 Cheveley Park Stud S. heroine Lightening Pearl (Ire), has been represented by 29 individual winners to date, including Tosen Laurier (Jpn) and Uvarovite (Jpn), each victorious at the listed stakes level.

On behalf of Shadai Farm, bloodstock agent Patrick Barbe spent $90,000 for Tastiera's Florida-bred fourth dam Crafty Wife (Crafty Prospector) at the Due Process Dispersal at Fasig-Tipton Kentucky in 1989. She was exported to Japan, was bred to Northern Taste and the result was Kyoei Forte (Jpn), a stakes-placed winner of nearly $1.5 million. Second dam Fortepiano was a full-sister to the listed-placed Sound Axis (Jpn) and foaled Partitura to the cover of 2001 Kikuka Sho hero Manhattan Cafe (Jpn) (Sunday Silence) in 2014.

Partitura is the dam of a 2-year-old filly by Bricks and Mortar, a yearling filly by 2017 Derby winner Rey de Oro (Jpn) and was most recently covered by Kitasan Black (Jpn).

Sunday, Tokyo, Japan
TOKYO YUSHUN (JAPANESE DERBY)-G1, ¥609,070,000, Tokyo, 5-28, 3yo, c/f, 2400mT, 2:25.20, fm.
1–TASTIERA (JPN), 126, c, 3, by Satono Crown (Jpn)
1st Dam: Partitura (Jpn), by Manhattan Cafe (Jpn)
2nd Dam: Fortepiano (Jpn), by French Deputy
3rd Dam: Kyoei Forte (Jpn), by Northern Taste
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Carrot Farm; B-Northern Farm; T-Noriyuki Hori; J-Damian Lane; ¥327,349,000. Lifetime Record: 5-3-1-0, ¥482,329,000. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: B. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Sol Oriens (Jpn), 126, c, 3, Kitasan Black (Jpn)–Skia (Fr), by Motivator (GB). O-Shadai Race Horse; B- Shadai Farm; ¥127,814,000.
3–Hearts Concerto (Jpn), 126, c, 3, Heart's Cry (Jpn)–Nasuno Sibelius, by Unbridled's Song. O-Green Farm; B-Hashimoto Farm; ¥78,907,000.
Margins: NK, NO, NO. Odds: 7.30, 0.80, 24.60.
Also Ran: Bellagio Opera (Jpn), Nocking Point (Jpn), Ho O Biscuits (Jpn), Season Rich (Jpn), Phantom Thief (Jpn), Shazzan (Jpn), Hrimfaxi (Jpn), Satono Glanz (Jpn), Metal Speed (Jpn), Pax Ottomanica (Jpn), Top Knife (Jpn), Gruner Green (Jpn), Shonan Bashitto (Jpn), Skilfing (Jpn). DNF: Dura Erede (Jpn) (lost rider). Click for the JRA chart.

The post Tastiera Bests Sol Oriens In Tragedy-Marred Tokyo Yushun appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The two runners may be more closely matched than it appears on paper. Sol Oriens (Jpn) will start a warm favourite in the world's richest Derby, and deservedly so, having come from a near-impossible position and having overcome his own greenness to decision Tastiera (Jpn) (Satono Crown {Jpn}) the G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) in very testing ground at Nakayama a month and a half ago. Scary as it could be, that was just the third start of his career and there is likely improvement to come, though the Derby and its full field dictate that there is little to no margin for error. To that end, his conditioner believes he is ready for Sunday's task.

“I think his performance in the Satsuki Sho was good,” said Takahisa Tezuka. “I had had my doubts about whether he could do well over the heavy ground and how he would do with the inside gate and the big field. But he came though well on all points. In his trackwork, he has been taking the bit better with each race and is much more forward than before.

“I think 2400 metres is well within reach. I think the ground and the times will be fast and I think those conditions suit him. I'm not worried. On the contrary, I'm happy to see him race on fast ground.”

Derby Fav 3c SOL ORIENS (Kitasan Black x Skia (Motivator)) still humming (inside)

Takeshi Yokoyama gave him and easy time on the Miho chip yet he rattled off an 11.3 close

Unbeaten in 3, Satsuki Sho winner LS

Good luck beating him! #KitasanBlack pic.twitter.com/NtdK2THglX

— Graham Pavey (@LongBallToNoOne) May 24, 2023

In the opposite corner is chief market rival Skilfing (Jpn), who overcame a difficult wide trip beneath Christophe Lemaire to defeat the re-opposing Heart's Concerto (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) by a half-length in the G2 Aoba Sho over this course and distance Apr. 29. While the duo drew gates 11 and four last time, respectively, Skilfing leaves from barrier two and Heart's Concerto from 11 this time around.

“After the Aoba Sho, I was glad to see that he came out of the race well, and I consider him to be a very reliable horse,” his trainer Tetsuya Kimura said. “He works well with the rider, listens well and responds well to what the jockey asks of him. I think all his experience at Tokyo should stand him well.”

Satono Glanz (Jpn) (Satono Diamond {Jpn}) has also already scored over the Derby trip, having improved from his maiden to win a 1-win class conditions at Hanshin in March, and he made it three on the trot with a narrow victory in the G2 Kyoto Shimbun Hai over a mile and three furlongs May 6. He will have to overcome post 18, as Equinox did last year, but has a capable reinsman in the form of Yuga Kawada.

Phantom Thief (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}) may not have preferred the soft underfoot conditions in the Satsuki Sho, but managed third all the same, and can improve on a sounder surface Sunday. Farther under the radar is Hrimfaxi (Jpn) (Rulership {Jpn}), the half-brother to the classy Deirdre (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}), who was a well-backed ninth in the Guineas, but was buried down on the worst part of the track for most of the opening mile and seems better than what he showed at Nakayama.

Dura Erede (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}), who upset last year's G1 Hopeful S. at 89-1, returns to the turf after finishing runner-up to Derma Sotogake (Jpn) (Mind Your Biscuits) in the G2 UAE Derby on the dirt at Meydan Mar. 25.

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In any country, it takes a special horse to win the Triple Crown. For the first time ever in Japan, there was a colts' and a fillies' Triple Crown winner in 2020, courtesy of Contrail (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and Daring Tact (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}). For the fillies, that special quest does not end in the Japanese St Leger in late October, but a week earlier in the Shuka Sho, in which they return to 2,000m.

This year, the Triple Crown is already on the cards again for one filly, with the vaunted Liberty Island (Jpn) having blasted past her rivals to a six-length victory in Tokyo on Sunday after taking the Oka Sho (1,000 Guineas) at Hanshin in April. 

The unbeaten Sol Oriens (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}), winner of the Satsuki Sho (2,000 Guineas), is almost certain to start favourite for the Derby on Sunday for what will be just the fourth run of his life. His name, incidentally, translates from Latin to 'Rising Sun', an apposite moniker for a top-class Japanese galloper if ever there was one.

Both Liberty Island and Sol Oriens exemplify what has become a common theme in Japanese breeding in that they are by domestic stallions who are proven at the top level over a number of seasons, and often with form up to two miles, and out of classy international race mares. It is no accident that Japan has become a dominant force in world racing: they set out to breed horses with that all-important blend of class and stamina, prizing form highly for both stallions and broodmares.

Yankee Rose (Aus), by Red Ransom's son All American (Aus), may have had humble origins, and was famously bought for just  A$10,000 at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, but she earned her way to the top. Following her Group 1 victories at two and three, not to mention her runner-up finish in the prized Golden Slipper, she was duly bought privately by Katsumi Yoshida. Mated initially to two Derby winners in her first two seasons in Deep Impact (Jpn) and Duramente, she has struck gold with her second foal, Liberty Island. 

In the case of Skia (Fr) (Motivator {GB}), the dam of Sol Oriens and his Grade 2-winning half-brother Vin De Garde (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), her final start brought victory in the G3 Prix Fille de l'Air for Leonidas Marinopoulos. She was later bought by French bloodstock agent Patrick Barbe, who has done plenty of business in Japan over the years, for €320,000 at Arqana's December Breeding Stock Sale.

Sol Oriens's sire Kitasan Black, a son of Deep Impact's full-brother Black Tide (Jpn), is also responsible for the exciting Equinox (Jpn) and was himself an accomplished galloper who didn't race until he was three. He made up for that with 20 starts over three seasons, his final appearance coming when he won the G1 Arima Kinen as a five-year-old, to seal a quintet of Grade 1 victories which included the Japan Cup and the Tenno Sho (Spring) over two miles. Kitasan Black was also third in the Satsuki Sho behind the Liberty Island's sire Duramente, with the latter, by King Kamehameha (Jpn), then going on to win the Derby. He had sired just five crops of foals when he died in 2021 at the age of nine. With five Grade 1 winners to his name already, Duramente looks a considerable loss.

Deep Impact, the most celebrated Japanese horse in recent history, and a Triple Crown winner himself who also landed the two-mile Tenno Sho, was another to have been the offspring of an imported mare, and of course he was by Japan's most famous equine import, Sunday Silence. Deep Impact's dam Wind In Her Hair (Ire) (Alzao), who, remarkably, is still alive at the age of 32 in retirement at Northern Horse Park, is a grand-daughter of the late Queen's dual Classic winner Highclere (GB) (Queen's Hussar {GB}). Second to Balanchine in the Oaks and a Group 1 winner in Germany the following year, Wind In Her Hair was another private purchase by Katsumi Yoshida. Her legacy in his country is now immense.  

Deep Impact's Triple Crown-winning daughter Gentildonna (Jpn), who was twice voted Horse of the Year in Japan, follows a similar pattern, being out of the G1 Cheveley Park S. winner Donna Blini (GB) (Bertolini), who was bought by Northern Farm for 500,000gns at the Tattersalls December Sale of 2006.

Little wonder, then, that such time and money is spent by Japanese breeders and their operatives in plucking some of the best race mares in Europe, America, Australia and beyond to bolster the home broodmare bands, whether through private purchases or at auction.

The extent of the former we can only guess at, but in the last four years at Keeneland's November Sale, for example, Japanese buyers have spent $59.3 million on 152 horses, and that was through a pandemic, don't forget. During that timeframe, €8.5 million has been spent at Arqana on 19 broodmare prospects, while at Goffs there's been an outlay of €2.1 million, and at Tattersalls another £14.2 million on 53 fillies and mares during the last four December Sales. And those figures are just from the breeding stock sales. Many millions more have been spent on foals and yearlings. 

In the last four years at Keeneland's November Sale, for example, Japanese buyers have spent $59.3 million on 152 horses

It is an eye-watering level of investment, primarily but not solely from the brothers Teruya, Katsumi and Haruya Yoshida. They respectively own Shadai, Northern and Oiwake Farms, and are collectively responsible for a power-packed roster at Shadai Stallion Station, which is currently home to 32 stallions. Of these, seven were bred in the USA, including last year's leading freshman, Mind Your Biscuits (Posse), and the Arkansas Derby winner Nadal (Blame).

The latter brings yet another branch of the Hail To Reason sireline into the country, which was enjoying great success there even before the Halo stallion Sunday Silence arrived. Nadal descends via Hail To Reason's Derby-winning son Roberto, whose son Real Shadai was champion sire in Japan in 1993, two years before Sunday Silence won the first of his 13 championships. More recently, Roberto's line has been well represented by Symboli Kris S and his son Epiphaneia. Jim Bolger's brilliant Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) was another recent overseas recruit to a line-up which boasts 26 homegrown sires. 

On Monday, the Japan Racing Horse Association (JRHA) released the catalogue for its Select Sale in July, which sells yearlings on one day followed by the rather charming session of foals offered alongside their dams. Once sold, the foals return to farms where they were born to be weaned, and only later join their new owners. 

It offers an extraordinary opportunity for sale attendees to see some of these grand old girls in the flesh, and what a line-up it will be again this year, in the shade of the trees of the Northern Horse Park, as the morning inspection session takes place prior to the start of the sale. 

In a veritable international who's who of broodmares, those present alongside their foals will include former champion race fillies from America, Australia, Argentina, and Canada, including She Will Reign (Aus) and Caledonia Road, along with Classic winners from France, Germany and Italy in Dream And Do (Fr), Feodora (Ger) and Dionisia. Then there's dear old Donna Blini, who is represented by both yearling and foal half-sisters to her greatest creation, Gentildonna. 

It is a catalogue that is almost impossible to preview in short form, containing as it does a deep, global representation of top-class form on both sides of each youngster's pedigree. But in short, it can be viewed as a set text for a lesson from a country which continues to prioritise form and longevity, with a long-term eye on the middle-distance horse. A land where, whatever the outcome for Sol Oriens, the sun continues to shine brightly on the breeding industry. 

The post Could Another Double Triple Crown Be On The Cards in Japan? appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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It was a third Tenno Sho in four years for the Silk Racing partnership, whose Horse of the Year Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) won it in 2019 and 2020.

Off at a generous 21-1, Panthalassa bounced well from his low gate, but had some surprising early company in the form of North Bridge (Jpn) (Maurice {Jpn}), and that may have had a material impact on the race, as a keyed-up Panthalassa rumbled right along through early fractions of :23.5 and :46 for the opening 800 metres. Equinox, making his first start since just missing in the G1 Tokyo Yushun at this track in late May, settled kindly behind midfield and was content to allow the front-runner to do his thing, with no apparent panic from Christophe Lemaire.

Panthalassa led by the better part of 15 lengths as the Tenno Sho field hit the turn and carried that sort of advantage off the final corner, daring the market leaders to catch him if they could. Equinox was steered off the heels of Potager (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) at the 450m and began to progress, but still had around eight lengths to find entering the final furlong. Despite racing on his incorrect leg, Equinox gathered up Panthalassa late on, who gamely held for second ahead of Danon Beluga (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}). Equinox covered his final 600 metres in :32.7, a tenth of a second quicker than Danon Beluga. Jack d'Or (Jpn) (Maurice {Jpn}) was a further neck back in fourth, while 2021 Derby hero and this year's G1 Dubai Sheema Classic winner Shahryar (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) was fifth in a useful prep for the G1 Longines Japan Cup Nov. 27.

“I'm happy that we were able to catch Panthalassa,” said Lemaire, winning his third Tenno Sho in four years and his 42nd Group 1 on the JRA circuit. “I saw him way in front of us after turning into the straight, the huge gap did worry me a bit, but my colt gave his best and displayed an incredible turn of foot. If he comes out of this race safe and well, he has every chance to do well in the Japan Cup or the Arima Kinen. This was his first Group 1 win but definitely not his last.”

Pedigree Notes:

Equinox is one of 54 winners to date for his second-crop sire and is his first top-level scorer. Kitasan Black, now responsible for three group winners following the victory of Ravel (Jpn) in Saturday's G3 Artemis S., is a son of Deep Impact's full-brother Black Tide (Jpn) and put together one of the great careers in recent memory.

Third to the late Duramente (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) in the 2015 G1 Satsuki Sho, Kitasan Black won that year's G1 Kikuka Sho (3000m) before adding his first G1 Tenno Sho (Spring) over two miles the following May. Named Horse of the Year after closing his 4-year-old season with a score in the G1 Japan Cup (2400m), he added the G1 Osaka Hai (2000m), a successful defence of his title in the Tenno Sho (Spring) in his next appearance and this race nearly five years to the day of Equinox's win. Run in heavy ground in 2017, Kitasan Black clocked 2:08.3. He retired as a dual Horse of the Year following success in the G1 Arima Kinen with 12 wins–seven at Group 1 level–from 20 starts for earnings of $16.5 million.

Out of Silk Racing colourbearer Chateau Blanche, Equinox is a half-brother to the operation's Group 3 winner Weiss Meteor, a 2-year-old colt by Just a Way (Jpn) and a yearling filly by Kizuna (Jpn). She did not produce a foal in 2022. Equinox is the second Group 1 winner out of a daughter of Dancing Brave son King Halo (Jpn), joining Sprinters' S. hero Pixie Knight (Jpn) (Maurice {Jpn}).

WATCH: Equinox catches Panthalassa in the Tenno Sho

Sunday, Tokyo, Japan
TENNO SHO (AUTUMN)-G1, ¥384,500,000, Tokyo, 10-30, 3yo/up, 2000mT, 1:57.5, fm.
1–EQUINOX (JPN), 123, c, 3, by Kitasan Black (Jpn)
1st Dam: Chateau Blanche (Jpn) (GSW-Jpn, $1,096,970), by King Halo (Jpn)
2nd Dam: Blancherie (Jpn), by Tony Bin (Ire)
3rd Dam: Maison Blanche (Jpn), by Alleged
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Silk Racing; B-Northern Farm; T-Tetsuya Kimura; J-Christophe Lemaire; ¥203,150,000. Lifetime Record: 5-3-2-0, ¥403,242,000. *1/2 to Weiss Meteor (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}), GSW-Jpn, $820,531. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*.
2–Panthalassa (Jpn), 128, h, 5, Lord Kanaloa (Jpn)–Miss Pemberley (Ire), by Montjeu (Ire). O-Hiroo Race; B-Hidenori Kimura; ¥80,900,000.
3–Danon Beluga (Jpn), 123, c, 3, Heart's Cry (Jpn)–Coasted, by Tizway. (¥160,000,000 wnlg '19 JRHAJUL). O-Danox Inc; B-Northern Farm; ¥50,450,000.
Margins: 1, NK, HF. Odds: 1.60, 21.80, 6.30.
Also Ran: Jack d'Or (Jpn), Shahryar (Jpn), Karate (Jpn), Maria Elena (Jpn), Uberleben (Jpn), Geoglyph (Jpn), Ablaze (Jpn), North Bridge (Jpn), Cadenas (Jpn), Potager (Jpn), Red Galant (Jpn), Babbitt (Jpn). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Click for the JRA chart.

The post Equinox Bridges The Gap In Thrilling Tenno Sho appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The legendary Yutaka Take, already five times a winner of the G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby), gave out an uncharacteristically bullish vibe about the chances of reigning champion 2-year-old male Do Deuce (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) ahead of Sunday's second jewel of the Japanese Triple Crown over 2400 metres of the Fuchu course, about 20 miles due west of the city centre.

And after a little less than a record-breaking 142 seconds on a warm and sunny warm afternoon and with a crowd on that looked and sounded a bit larger than the announced 62,364, the son of US import Dust and Diamonds (Vindication) kicked home down the centre of the track and found the line a neck better than an unlucky Equinox (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}). Ask Victor More (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), one of five in the race for the final intake of the 2005 Derby winner–also ridden by Take–was a forward factor throughout and clung on gamely for third.

“This is a truly emotional experience for me and I couldn't be happier,” said Take, 53, who can now boast of Derby victories in his 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s. “It's so wonderful to be able to win in front of a packed stand–you couldn't be a jockey and not dream of living this moment.”

Sent away as the 16-5 third choice exiting a wide-trip third behind Geoglyph (Jpn) (Drefong) and Equinox in the G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) at Nakayama last month, last year's G1 Asahi Hai Futurity hero was away fairly from gate 13 and drifted back to settle in the latter third of the field, racing with Equinox in his wake, as Desierto (Jpn) (Drefong) cut out the running from Ask Victor More. Switched off nicely and unhurried entering the final half-mile, Do Deuce stalked Geoglyph into the final 600 metres and was pulled out and around that star-faced chestnut rival entering the long Tokyo straight.

Desierto hoisted the white flag not long thereafter, allowing Ask Victor More to inherit the lead, but Take had Do Deuce in high gear, raced up to the front-runner inside the furlong marker and held sway late to score narrowly. Equinox, who drew 18 in the Guineas was unfortunate to do so again Sunday afternoon, was beaten to the punch by the winner and was fractionally short of room in the waning stages before attacking the line for second. His final 600 metres was timed in a race-fastest :33.6, a tenth of a second quicker than the winner. Favored Danon Beluga (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) ran on for fourth.

“He had so much left in the tank at the final corner when I asked him for his run–he responded amazingly and took the lead earlier than planned, but held on well to the wire,” Take added. “The [G1] Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe should be a strong option for the owner and will probably be our next target.”

Do Deuce is one of seven Japanese entries for Europe's weight-for-age centrepiece and is the third Derby winner in the last seven years for trainer Yasuo Tomomichi, who saddled Makahiki (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in 2016 and Wagnerian (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) two years later.

Six Tokyo Yushuns for Yutake Take

1998 Special Week
1999 Admire Vega
2002 Tanino Gimlet
2005 Deep Impact
2013 Kizuna
2022 Do Deuce

Get to know Japan's star rider… pic.twitter.com/Dvv7dF0ehm

— World Horse Racing (@WHR) May 29, 2022

Pedigree Notes:

Do Deuce is one of 11 top-level scores for the now-pensioned Heart's Cry, who famously defeated Deep Impact in the 2005 G1 Arima Kinen and gave Japan a notable victory on the world stage when carrying Christophe Lemaire to a barnstorming victory in the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic at old Nad al Sheba in 2006. Do Deuce is the second Derby winner for Heart's Cry, who also supplied One and Only (Jpn) in 2014. Heart's Cry is also responsible for dual-surface Grade I winner Yoshida (Jpn), now standing at WinStar Farm in the US.

The winner's dam raced as a homebred for Satish Sanan's Padua Stables for the first 10 starts of her career, winning the GII Gallant Bloom H. for trainer Steve Asmussen in 2012 before finishing a clear second in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint with Richard Santulli part of the ownership group.

Sent through the Fasig-Tipton November Sale a few days later, Dust and Diamonds was purchased by Borges Torrealba Holdings for $900,000 and was turned over to trainer Todd Pletcher for whom she won the GIII Sugar Swirl S. in what would be her final racetrack appearance.

Of the three foals the mare produced for Torrealba/Three Chimneys, the most accomplished became Much Better, who went on to be placed twice in graded company. Dust and Diamonds was subsequently sold to Katsumi Yoshida for $1 million carrying a full-sibling to Much Better at the 2016 Keeneland November Sale.

Now 14 years of age, Dust and Diamonds is represented by a 2-year-old Lord Kanaloa (Jpn) filly and was most recently covered by Real Steel (Jpn), the full-brother to the ground-breaking GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf heroine Loves Only You (Jpn).

$1 million for Hip 175, Dust and Diamonds (in foal to Pioneerof the Nile) at #KeeNov from the @Three_Chimneys consignment pic.twitter.com/hs7Y7WpF4P

— Keeneland Sales (@keenelandsales) November 8, 2016

Sunday, Tokyo, Japan
TOKYO YUSHUN (JAPANESE DERBY)-G1, ¥418,540,000, Tokyo, 5-29, 3yo, c/f, 2400mT, 2:21.90 (NSR), fm.
1–DO DEUCE (JPN), 126, c, 3, by Heart's Cry (Jpn)
1st Dam: Dust and Diamonds (MGSW & GISP-US, $496,260), by Vindication
2nd Dam: Majestically, by Gone West
3rd Dam: Darling Dame, by Lyphard
O-Kieffers Inc; B-Northern Farm; T-Yasuo Tomomichi; J-Yutaka Take; ¥226,978,000. Lifetime Record: Ch. 2yo Colt-Jpn, 6-4-1-1, ¥385,771,000. *1/2 to Much Better (Pioneerof the Nile), MGSP-US, $301,131. Werk Nick Rating: C. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Equinox (Jpn), 126, c, 3, Kitasan Black (Jpn)–Chateau Blanche (Jpn), by King Halo (Jpn) O-Silk Racing; B-Northern Farm; ¥87,708,000.
3–Ask Victor More (Jpn), 126, c, 3, Deep Impact (Jpn)–
Kartica (GB), by Rainbow Quest. 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK-TYPE. (¥170,000,000 yrl '20 JRHAJUL). O-Toshihiro Hirosaki HD; B-Shadai Farm; ¥53,854,000.
Margins: NK, 2, NK. Odds: 3.20, 2.80, 23.70.
Also Ran: Danon Beluga (Jpn), Pradaria (Jpn), Killer Ability (Jpn), Geoglyph (Jpn), Onyankopon (Jpn), Justin Palace (Jpn), Be Astonished (Jpn), Seiun Hades (Jpn), Ask Wild More (Jpn), Matenro Leo (Jpn), Lord Les Ailes (Jpn), Desierto (Jpn), Justin Rock (Jpn), Matenro Orion (Jpn), Piece of Eight (Jpn). Click for the JRA chart or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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The winner of the G3 Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai S. at two at the end of a three-race, unbeaten 2-year-old campaign, Wagnerian won the Tokyo Yushun at third asking at three. He added the G2 Kobe Shimbun Hai before the season was out, and though that would prove to be his last win, Wagnerian was third in the following spring's G1 Osaka Hai S. and the 2019 G1 Japan Cup. He was last seen trailing in last in this year's Japan Cup.

Wagnerian raced as a homebred for Kaneko, who also raced his sire, Deep Impact, and his damsire, King Kamehameha.

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Carrot Racing's Lei Papale worked her way through the grades in under-the-radar fashion, missing the 3-year-old filly Classics while running the table in five starts, including a breakthrough success at group level as the lone female in a field of 11 in the G3 Challenge Cup at Hanshin last December. Connections could scarcely have selected a more demanding 4-year-old debut for Lei Papale in the G1 Osaka Hai, hooking a field that included 2020 Triple Crown champion Contrail (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), fellow Derby winner Wagnerian (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and multiple champion Gran Alegria (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}).

Contested in miserable conditions and in testing ground, Lei Papale made the lead beneath Yuga Kawada and had plenty left late to cause an 11-1 upset (see below). She has one run since, a third to the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe-bound Chrono Genesis (Jpn) (Bago {Fr}) in the G1 Takarazuka Kinen over 2200 metres June 27.

Lei Papale has gate 12 in a field of 16 for the G2 Sankei Sho All Comers S. at Nakayama and is drawn just to the outside of G1 Longines Hong Kong Vase hero Glory Vase (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in the 11-furlong test.

WATCH: Lei Papale dusts a classy field in the G1 Osaka Hai

Campaigned in the colours of Sunday Racing Co. Ltd., Shahryar makes his return to action in Sunday's age-restricted G2 Kobe Shimbun Hai (2200mT) at Chukyo. A maiden winner in a single juvenile appearance at Kyoto last October, the dark bay was third to future G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) hero Efforia (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}) at Group 3 level in February, took out the G3 Mainichi Hai the following month and became the second foal from Dubai Majesty (Essence of Dubai) to win the Japanese Derby, just nosing out Efforia in the Tokyo centrepiece when last seen May 30 (video). Shahryar's full-brother Al Ain (Jpn) was victorious in the 2017 Derby.

Shahryar breaks from the widest alley in a field of 10 in a field that also includes Stella Veloce (Jpn) (Bago {Fr}), a Group 3-winning juvenile who was third in both the 2000 Guineas and Derby.

Top-level racing returns to Japan a week from Sunday with the running of the G1 Sprinters' S. (1200mT) at Nakayama. The JRA tracks stage one Group 1 event on all but two weekends between now and the end of the year, highlighted by the US$5.8-million Longines Japan Cup at Tokyo Nov. 28.

WATCH: Shahryar gets up in time in this year's Japanese Derby

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Bred by Katsumi Yoshida's Northern Farm and racing for the Yoshida family's Sunday Racing Co. Ltd., Shahryar was up in the final yards of the 2,400-meter Tokyo Yushun under Yuichi Fukunaga to defeat 7-10 favorite Efforia by a nose. The latter, a colt by Epiphaneia also bred by Northern Farm, finished 1 1/4 lengths ahead of the third-place finisher, Stella Veloce. All 17 runners seeking the winner's share of the US$4.1 million purse were bred in Japan.

Trained by Hideaki Fujiwara, Shahryar covered the about 1  1/2 miles in 2:22.50, nearly two seconds off the course record of 2:20.60. He was sent off the fourth betting choice at 10-1 odds.

Fukunaga was riding his third Tokyo Yushun winner in the last four years. This was the trainer's second victory in the race.

This was the first G1 for Shahrayi and third win overall from four starts. He came into the Tokyo Yushun off a G3 win at Hanshin in the Mainichi Hai, having previously finished third to Efforia in a G3 at Tokyo.

Shahryar saved ground much of the way, tracking behind Efforia but then ran into traffic problems rounding the far turn and into the stretch. After altering course in midstretch to find clear sailing, Shahryar flew late to win by the narrowest of margins. It was the first defeat in five starts for Efforia, who won the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) to kick off Japan's Triple Crown at Nakayama on April 18 in his most recent start.

Shahryar becomes the seventh Tokyo Yushun winner for Deep Impact, a Japanese Triple Crown winner in 2005 who retired with 12 wins from 14 starts over three racing seasons. Deep Impact has followed in the footsteps of Sunday Silence, who was Japan's leading sire for 13 consecutive years from 1995-2007. Deep Impact has been leading sire every year since 2012. He died in 2019.

Shahryar's dam, Dubai Majesty, is a 2005 foal by Essence of Dubai, a son of Pulpit. Bred in Florida by Harold J. Plumley, Dubai Majesty was a $7,000 buy-back at the 2006 Fasig-Tipton October Yearling Sale who began her racing career for Plumley and was sold privately after the 10^th of her 34 career starts. Bret Calhoun campaigned Dubai Majesty for the remainder of her racing days for Martin Racing Stable LLC and Dan Morgan, and she won four graded stakes: two renewals of the G3 Winning Colors, the G2 Thoroughbred Club of America, and in her final start the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. Dubai Majesty retired with 12 wins from 34 starts and earnings of $1,509,243.

Immediately after her final victory, she was entered in the Fasig-Tipton November mixed sale where Katsumi Yoshida bought her for $1.1 million from the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment.

Shahryar is the second Japanese classic winner produced from the Deep Impact–Dubai Majesty mating. Al Ain won the 2017 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) before finishing fifth in that year's Tokyo Yushun.

With on-track attendance limited at Japan Racing Association tracks because of the COVID-19 pandemic, attendance was just 4,944 at the cavernous Tokyo Racecourse. Wagering on the Tokyo Yushun was US$228 million, with US$356 million wagered on the 12-race program.

The post Shahryar Packs Powerful Late Punch To Win Japanese Derby By A Nose appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Blessed with excellent tactical speed, Efforia has managed to be a forward factor in each of his races to date, sitting fairly handy to the pace when besting Victipharus (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) by a comfortable 2 1/2 lengths in the G3 Kyodo News Hai at headquarters in February, an effort that stamped him as the second-elect for the Satsuki Sho. While Danon the Kid (Jpn) (Just a Way {Jpn}) faltered that afternoon, Efforia sat a cosy inside trip and punched through the gap when it came before streaking home a three-length winner from pace-pressing Titleholder (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}). Having drawn the paint for the Derby, Efforia should once again enjoy the run of the race Sunday.

“He hasn't dropped his condition since the Satsuki Sho and he's in good shape,” said young jockey Takeshi Yokoyama. “He seems to have become stronger. In his last work, he finished off very well and kept things going until after the winning post, demonstrating his ability. It would be great if I could win the Derby with him.”

WATCH: Efforia winning the G1 Satsuki Sho

Satono Reinas (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) will attempt to become the first filly to beat the boys in the Derby since Vodka (Jpn) (Tanino Gimlet {Jpn}) in 2007 and should she succeed, would provide her legendary sire with a fourth straight winner of the race. Winner of her first two tries, including a newcomers' event in June, the bay was nosed out by Sodashi (Jpn) (Kurofune) in the G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies in December and flew home in her lone start this term to miss by a neck to the white filly in the G1 Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas) Apr. 11. She is certain to appreciate this stretch out to the metric 12 furlongs, having passed last week's G1 Yushun Himba.

“I think she'll actually be better suited to this longer trip,” said trainer Sakae Kunieda, who conditioned the great Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}). “I'm excited about the challenge she faces here, and I'm not really thinking about the opponents in the race, but only her performance under these conditions.”

Wonderful Town (Jpn) (Rulership {Jpn}) rallied from off the speed to best Lagom (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}) in the G3 Kyoto Nisai S. last November and resumed from a November layoff to win the G2 Aoba Sho over Sunday's course and distance May 1. A victory would give Deep Impact his first Derby winner as a broodmare sire and second overall, joining Kikuka Sho hero Kiseki (Jpn), also a son of Rulership.

Deep Monster (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) looms an interesting longshot proposition. A listed winner over 2200 metres in late February, the son of US MGISW Sisterly Love (Bellamy Road) raced last but one into the final half-mile of the Guineas, was flushed seven or eight wide into the lane and finished up willingly to be seventh, beaten 4 1/2 lengths. He's drawn nicely in four to save some ground this time and the longer trip and, potentially, sounder underfoot conditions could help his chances.

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